A teen who has been accused of killing his ex-girlfriend’s step dad was seen blowing kisses in court in front of the victim’s family.
Christian Martinez, 17, is suspected of murdering Osvaldo Casas, 37, outside of his home in Houston on August 10.
According to KHOU, Casas was shot multiple times just after 12pm and died in the arms of his pregnant girlfriend.
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Police investigated his death and found that Martinez had been stalking Casas' stepdaughter, who is 16 years old.
Learning of this, Casas reportedly attempted to intervene, but was shot dead.
Authorities reported that Casas has stepped outside of his home to investigate a suspicious vehicle that morning.
As reported by Click 2 Houston, his wife Judith Molina allegedly said that they had received a call from a neighbor about the car, and they were worried as they’d had their vehicle vandalized the previous night.
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This is when Casas was shot dead, say investigators.
A judge stated: "The allegations are that the 17-year-old defendant briefly dated the complaining witness [Casas'] 16 year old daughter. The daughter stopped seeing this defendant after the defendant assaulted and unlawfully restrained her.
"The defendant repeatedly called the daughter until she blocked the defendant's phone number."
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However, Martinez is also accused of posting threatening social media posts, which include an image of himself with a firearm.
"The defendant messaged friends, posted on social media about getting payback against the daughter and left a voicemail saying he would shoot up the daughter's crib," the judge explained, as per ABC 13.
Martinez now faces charges of first-degree felony murder and appeared in court for the first time on Monday 21 October, where he was seen blowing kisses.
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His scene in the court room was seen after his bail was raised from $200,000 to $2million.
Both of the families were present in the courtroom according to KHOU11, and also reported that the kiss was blown in the direction of the victim's family members.
Molina was adamant that her daughter and Martinez were never together.
"He was just mad that she didn't want to date him. That she wanted to do nothing with him," she told KHOU.
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"I hope he gets what he deserves - life in prison,” she added.
“He took a life. His life should be for the rest of his life in prison. He shouldn't be let out."
An online fundraiser that for Casas was created by his wife, where she wrote that he ‘was tragically shot to death in front of our home while bravely protecting our family.’
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She shared: “He was loved by so many in our community and never hesitated to lend a helping hand."
As of now, police are still on the hunt for a second suspect.
Online users who have gotten wind of the kiss-blowing are outraged, with one person writing on Reddit: “He might think it’s cute now but he won’t be blowing any kisses in prison.”
Britt Jones